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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rash — a series
  3. file — a document
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. file — a tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. file — a line of people
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com